Guest Profiles

Members of the police force and experts were invited to share their views on the state of the police in India as well as the need for police reforms. Learn a little more about our guests.

Abhinav Kumar, a police officer of the 1996 batch from Uttarakhand, writes frequently on issues of policing and national security. Kumar holds a master's degree in Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford. He is presently working on deputation as Private Secretary to Dr Shashi Tharoor in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Prakash Singh, a retired police officer, has served as the Chief of the Uttar Pradesh Police and the Border Security Force. In 1996, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to the Indian Civil Service. In the same year, he filed a public interest litigation before the Supreme Court asking it to direct state governments to implement the recommendations for police reforms made by the National Police Commission in 1979. In a landmark judgement in 2006, the Court laid out seven directives for police reforms and urged all states to comply.

Justice K. T. Thomas is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India. Since his retirement in 2002, he has been appointed as the chairman of various committees, including the Police Reforms Monitoring Committee constituted by the Supreme Court.

Anuradha Shankar, an officer of the 1990 batch, is currently posted as an Inspector General at Indore. She has served in various capacities in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. She has also been awarded the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry.

Amitabh Thakur, an officer of the 1992 batch, is currently serving in Uttar Pradesh as Inspector General, Civil Defence. He is also the founder of National RTI Forum, a grassroots anti-corruption organization.

Shivaji Mahan Cairae was the first Director General of Police in Jharkhand. He feels passionately about police reforms and believes that drastic changes are needed to create a people-friendly police force in India. He retired in 2005.

Sanjay Pandey, a police officer of the 1986 batch, is currently posted as Deputy Inspector General of the State Reserve Police Force in Maharashtra. He holds a B.Tech degree in Computer Sciences from IIT Kanpur.

S. R. Darapuri, an officer of the 1972 batch, is a retired Inspector General of Police. He is also a part of many people's movements aimed at empowering the marginalized and has spoken out vehemently against custodial torture.

Dr Harish Shetty is a Mumbai-based practising psychiatrist. He is known for working with a variety of population groups, including youth, survivors of disasters and the police force. He is also a trainer, researcher and therapist.

Bipin Gopalkrishna is the Director General of Police of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Karnataka. He was one of the recipients of the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in Karnataka in the year 2007.

Sir Peter Fahy is the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police in the United Kingdom. He has been a strong advocate of police reform and innovation. He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in 2004, and bestowed with Knighthood in 2012.

Jacob Punnoose is the former Director General of Police of Kerala. He has played an active role in the functioning of the Janamaithri Suraksha Project, which has become a model for improving both policing and the relationship between the public and the police.

Suresh Khopade joined the Maharashtra Police Force in the year 1978 through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission, as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (Direct Nominee). He is a pioneer of community policing initiatives in Maharashtra. He retired as Special Inspector General of CID. He is also a recipient of the President’s Medal for Gallantry.

One of India's best-known men in uniform, Julio Ribeiro is a retired police officer and civil servant. He has served as a Commissioner of Mumbai Police and as Director General of Punjab Police. He has also served as Indian Ambassador to Romania from 1989 until 1993. In 1987, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his services to the country.

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